


Protest (one-shot)

by frominsideacomputer



Category: Bucky Barnes - Fandom, Captain America, Marvel
Genre: F/M, Hospital, M/M, Once Upon A Time, Skiing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-27
Updated: 2014-10-27
Packaged: 2018-02-22 21:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,491
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2522927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frominsideacomputer/pseuds/frominsideacomputer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Skiing holiday isn't going that weel, and it just get worse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Protest (one-shot)

In which Bucky and Steve stay at a Ski Resort in Canada and they meet Clint and Natasha (Clint is teaching Nat how to ski)

"But, I wanted to go to London for Christmas!" Bucky whined as Steve drove up the crunchy gravel track to the Resort.   
All around the road, was clean, white, bone fresh snow, occasionally being torn by signs and posts.   
The reception could just about be seems from the car, the wooden roof and gentle bundles of smoke from the fire puffed out of the chimney.

"I know, and so did I, but we couldn’t afford the flights, considering I’m currently unemployed due to the fact that SOMEONE decided to, oh I don’t know? Attack SHIELD." He joked, like usual, it wasn’t like Bucky wasn’t used to Steve’s jokes, and Bucky made them back, about what happened on the train; but this time, there was something in Steve’s voice that made him sound like he wasn’t joking.   
“I’m sorry, wasn’t my fault SOMEONE couldn’t pull me back onto the train.”

Steve slammed on the brakes in anger, and the car screeched to a halt in the parking lot.   
“For fuck sake Bucky, I-is that Clint’s car?” He stopped mid-sentence, after seeing a shield car in a space.   
“Who’s Clint?” Bucky had no idea who Steve was talking about, he had never met Hawkeye, and Steve didn’t really talk about working for SHIELD much anymore.   
“Just an old friend.” Steve mumbled, getting out of the car.

They pulled their cases from the back seats and carried them into the building. The cases were packed for three weeks, but for these two, they were practically lightweight.

They checked in and made their way to their room. It was small, but cosy. A double bed filled up most of the space, with two armchairs and a table by the door. A small, but clean bathroom was tucked around the corner.   
But it was the balcony and view that made the difference to the room. Large full length glass doors opened out onto a huge balcony, with a hot tub in one corner. There was a table and four chairs, facing the mountains, allowing for visitors to admire the view.   
And what a view it was; the winter sun glowed down onto the paper smooth snow, that was eager to be ripped by skiers. Grey jagged rock penetrated the snow in places, reassuring everyone that there was a mountain underneath.

"Wow." Bucky put his arms around Steve who was leaning on the balcony. "This is better than London."   
He rested his chin on Steve’s shoulder and leant his head gently towards Steve’s.   
“I’m sorry for earlier, I’ve just had nothing to do since…”   
“I know, I’d be grouchy too.” Bucky forgave Steve and kissed him on the neck. “What do you say we go and get some food, we’ve been in the car for the whole day?”  
Steve reluctantly left the view behind, being tugged away by Bucky.

They found a table in the restaurant, and ordered drinks, just before Steve heard a familiar voice behind him, muttering to a companion.

"No, I’m not doing it. I didn’t want to come. You’re making me do this."   
“No, you need to learn to ski, you’re Russian, how do you not know how to - Steve?!” Hawkeye recognised Steve and made everyone jump.   
“Clint? Tash?” Steve stood up, Bucky stayed at the table, head down, arm covered. “What are you doing here?” “Teaching her to ski. You?”  
“Bucky and I are staying away from home this Christmas.”  
“Bucky?! As in Bucky Barnes? As in the Winter Soldier? As in the one who shot me twice?” Natasha yelped, her mind drawn away from the skiing.

Bucky sighed, he knew that’s what he’d be remembered for; it was inevitable. “That’s me.” He said, standing up, looking at Natasha.   
“But…why…how…what.” Nat struggled with words and sentences, until she gave up and had to sit down.   
“Memory wipe, cryogenics, brainwashing, ‘super soldier’ kinda stuff. It wasn’t my fault.” Bucky explained.   
“Or so he says…” Steve joked, even Nat laughed this time.

"So, you’re not planning on shooting me again then?" She looked up, into Bucky’s eyes, seeing honesty there for the first time.   
“I don’t plan to.”   
Bucky held out his metal arm for Natasha to shake; she looked cautious, but held his hand firmly and shook it.   
“What just happened?” Clint snapped out of a trance, blinking quickly.   
“I just shook hands with the man who has shot me at least twice and nearly brought down SHIELD single-handedly.”  
“Oh.” He replied nonchalantly.

They sat at separate tables and left at different times, but they planned to meet the next morning for breakfast.

As Steve and Bucky walked back to their room, Bucky was mulling over some of the things Natasha had said.   
“Did I really shoot her twice?”   
Steve didn’t know how to answer that question without lying or upsetting Bucky.   
“Steve? And don’t lie to me.”  
“Yes, first in waist, then, in the shoulder. Two different occasions, a couple of years apart, but the second was only last year.” They reached their room, Steve pushed his way in and went straight to the balcony. Bucky followed and leant on the edge next to Steve.   
“Did I really nearly bring down SHIELD? I mean, I always thought you were joking…”  
“Not exactly, you…you nearly killed Fury and nearly killed me a couple of times. Yes I’ve forgiven you and I know you weren’t you, but it took time; when you knocked on my door, I thought I’d seen a ghost. But you were really there, everything real. I had to adjust, I had to forget everything I once knew about the winter soldier and learn you again. I kept meeting Sam, he was just as confused as I was.”  
“Oh my god. I didn’t know.” Bucky’s breathing was heavy, he inhaled all of the information.   
“I never told anyone.”

They talked for a while longer, then decided to turn in for the night. Steve always slept on the right, so Bucky’s arm wasn’t pressed into the mattress. They cuddled and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

The next morning they met Clint and Natasha at breakfast, and planned their day. Everything was fine, except something was nagging in the back of Steve’s head.   
He had a burning question that had been alight since the previous evening.

"So, which rooms are you two in?" Steve thought carefully about his phrasing, trying to make the obvious as subtle as possible.   
“We’re in 104, west side.” Clint mumbled back, knowing he and Natasha would have to come clean soon.   
“Is that like, a twin room or what?” Bucky had cottoned on to Steve’s plan and had his eyes fixed on a scowling Natasha.   
“Somethinglikethat. Right, I’m going back to get changed for today.”

Tasha leapt up from the table and almost made it clear before Steve shouted at her.   
“You haven’t finished your coffee!”   
She turned on her heels, sat back down and rapidly drank half a cup of coffee. Steve had a full smirk on his face and Bucky was staring at a blushing Clint Barton with narrowed eyes.

"I knew it!" Steve yelled, holding a hand out for a high five with Bucky, who reluctant slapped 20 bucks into his palm. "Thank you." He nodded at Bucky who returned to a scowl.   
“Knew what?” Clint had been staring into middle distance and not been paying attention, but after seeing the look on Tasha’s face, he figured it out. “Oh, that.”   
Steve checked the time, and decided it was best if they went to change.   
They all stood up from the table, Tasha’s whispered something into Clint’s ear, making him laugh.

"So," Bucky clapped loudly, making the glasses on the table shake. "In conclusion, Clint and Natasha are very good friends, they are in the room directly below us and I hope to god they don’t have loud sex."   
“See you in 45 minutes.”

The group parted ways, and on the way back to the room, Steve had more questions that he’d hoped for.   
“Buck,” He said, taking his boyfriend’s hand. “How did you work out they were directly below us?”  
“Well, we’re 205 west side, the 2 means floor 2, and numbers are alternate odd and even on each floor. I just figured that’s where they’d be.”  
“Oh, so it had nothing to do with the fact that one of Clint’s arrows was lying on the ground below our balcony this morning?”   
“Nothing what so ever.”

Steve and Bucky changed into skiing gear, then met the other two outside.  
Tasha still did not want to learn how to ski, and Clint was still intent on teaching her.   
“Ready to go?”   
“No, but let’s get this over with.”

The group trudged up to the ski lift, each carrying skis and poles.   
They reached the top of the slope, and the group disembarked, even a reluctant Natasha.   
“Do I have to? Can’t I watch from the cabin?”  
“No, I’m teaching you to ski.” Clint pulled her out of the lift, landing in the fresh snow.

Steve was sitting on a bench, attaching his skis to his boots, when Bucky sat next to him.   
“Have you ever down this before?” He whispered.   
“Sort of…”  
“What? Only one ski?” Bucky joked,   
but Steve’s tone was more serious.   
“Well I successfully slid down a mountain on the SHIELD.”  
“When?”  
“Well, after you fell off the train, I had to get off too.” He snapped, then pushed himself up from the bench and slowly made his way down the slope.

Bucky quickly followed, he’d never skied before, but his balance was good and he had enough muscle.   
“Wait!” He grabbed Steve’s Houser with his left hand, and spun him round, making Steve fall over onto his ankle; causing a nasty crunch.  
Despite the noise, Steve couldn’t feel any pain, and tried to stand up; but as soon as any weight went into the foot, he collapsed again.   
“Shit, it’s broken. Wait here.” Bucky ordered, he took the skis off Steve’s feet and his own. Then carried them back up to Clint and Tasha.   
“Steve’s broken his ankle, he’ll be fine Tash, I’m going to get an ambulance. Can you get these back to base later?”   
“Sure, I hope he’s alright.”

Bucky jogged back down the slope, and picked Steve up with little effort. They walked in silence, down the slope - luckily the flattest and shortest - when they reached the bottom, Bucky let Steve down into a bench, keeping his ankle elevated.

"Hi." He ran to reception. "My friend, he’s broken his ankle, can we phone an ambulance."  
The receptionist followed Bucky back out to Steve.   
“What happened?”  
“I got my ski caught under his, and caused him to turn accidentally, hitting a rock.” Bucky pushed in before Steve had a chance to answer.   
“Okay, I’m going to call an ambulance, wait here.”

20 minutes drowned in frozen silence followed before the ambulance arrived.   
Paramedics rushed out, and carried Steve in on a stretcher, Bucky close behind.  
On the journey to the hospital, the paramedics were repeating the same questions.   
“Is there any pain?” “No.”  
“Do you feel hot?” “No.”  
“Sweaty?”   
“Any pain?”  
“Clammy?”  
“Dizzy?”  
“Hot?”  
“NO!” Steve shouted, shutting up all the team.

They arrived at the hospital, Steve was whisked away for an x-Ray, whilst Bucky was left waiting in a plastic covered, very stiff chair in the hospital waiting room.   
Next to him was a youngish boy reading a comic about Captain America.   
“Hey kid?”  
“Yeah?” The boy looked up, clearly he recognised Bucky, because his eyes went wide in awe and he gestured to his comic.   
“Shah…” Bucky put a finger to his lips.   
“Just one question? Please?”  
“Fine?” Bucky sighed, regretting everything he’d done.   
“Can I see it?”

Bucky was asked this so often, he knew what it was about, and under skiing gear, it wasn’t the easiest thing to do. “Fine.” He sighed, taking off his jacket.   
“Wow!” The boy’s eyes were the size of planets now. “What’s it like-“  
“Being a villain who almost killed his best friend? Rubbish.”   
“That’s not what I was going to say.”  
“What?” Now it was Bucky’s turn to have wide eyes.   
“I was going to say, what’s it like remembering who you are/were? Cause I never believed you were a villain, you were a good man who had bad choices forced upon him.”

Bucky stared open mouthed at this young - 10 or 11 year old - boy who had come up with a better description of him than even he himself had done. “It’s…it’s hard, challenging, there are some things I know I’ve lost forever. But at the same time, it’s like using up a new pen, and finding a new one, that work better and has more ink. You get it?”  
“Totally.”

A nurse came out,   
“Mr Barnes?”  
“Yes.” Bucky stood up.   
“Mr Rogers is fine, just a fracture and he’s in a cast now. If you’d like to follow me.”   
“See you round kid.” He did a two finger salute, and the boy returned it.

Bucky followed the nurse into the ward, finding Steve sitting on a hospital bed, his leg propped up and the TV on.   
“How is it?”  
“Fine.” Steve turned back to the episode of Once Upon a Time, where Jefferson was making Emma make the hat.   
“Look.” Bucky turned off the TV, making Steve face him. “I’m sorry for breaking your ankle, I really am. I’m trying not to be ‘The Winter Soldier’, I’m trying to be the better version of me, Bucky mark 3. I…think I was a good man once, just I had bad choices forced upon me. I’m going to be the new pair of favourite shoes, same look, but less broken, less worn out.   
So Steve, I love you, and I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry.” There were tears for everyone, Bucky’s eyes brimmed with water, and a solitary droplet skated over Steve’s prominent cheekbone.

"Oh Bucky, whatever am I going to do with you?" Steve sighed and pulled Bucky into a hug. A hug that became a kiss, which lead to them sitting together on Steve’s hospital bed, cuddled into each other.

A short while later, they left the hospital; but just before they left, Bucky remembered the boy he’d met.   
He asked at the desk, and they said he’d gone into see his mother, who had just had a baby.   
“Wait here Steve.” Bucky jogged off, leaving Steve to practise on his crutches.

Bucky found the boy, he was waiting for his dad.   
“Kid, thanks.” Bucky smiled, picked up a pen, and slid the boy’s comic across the table towards himself.  
He signed the cover, and left without a word.   
The boy picked it up, and read: ‘Thanks, for showing me who I was.’


End file.
